UPSEE 2012 Notification by GBTU, Lucknow | SEE Exam 2012 Dates, Brouture, Syllabus, Qualification, Apply Online at www.upsee.nic.in

Gautam Buddh Technical University(GBTU), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh(UP) today (28th February 2012) issued Notification/ Advertisement for UPSEE 2012. UPTU SEE 2012 Exam will be held on 21st, 22nd April 2012. UPTU SEE 2012 is an entrance examination for admission in a number of technical courses like engineering, management, fashion & design, architecture, pharmacy, hotel management, Computer Applications and architecture in private unaided/government aided colleges in Uttar Pradesh affiliated to Uttar Pradesh Technical University. UPTU was established in the year 2000 by goverment of Uttar Pradesh and is one of the largest technical universities in India. UPTU SEE 2012 Exam will be held on 21st, 22nd April 2012. UPSEE 2012, the entrance examination for degree level engineering institutions and other professional colleges has been assigned to Gautam Buddh Technical University, Lucknow vide Govt. order no. 4260/solah-1-2009-13(7)/09 dated 18-01-2010 (Read with GO No. 667/solah-1-2012-1(17)/2008 dated23.02.2012). Further, the Govt. of Uttar Pradesh, Technical Education Department, has consented for the constitution of Central Admission Board (CAB) under the Chairmanship of the Vice Chancellor, Gautam Buddh Technical University, Lucknow to supervise and control the State Entrance Examination herein after referred as UPSEE-2012 being conducted by Gautam Buddh Technical University, Lucknow. The CAB has absolute rights for conducting UPSEE-2012, and to decide about modalities of admissions and allotment of seats. The jurisdiction of CAB extends to colleges / institutes affiliated to GBTU, Lucknow and MTU, Noida. The CAB is authorised to take every decision regarding conduct and admissions through UPSEE-2012

Examination Fees: General/OBC = Rs. 1000 & SC/ST/Girls = Rs. 500
Education Qualification: 
(i) For admission to first year of B. Tech. / B. Pharm., candidate must have clearly passed without grace, intermediate examination of U. P. Board or 10+2 level examination or its equivalent from any recognized Board / University; securing minimum 45% marks (40% marks for SC/ST Category candidates) without grace in required subject combination of two compulsory subjects and one optional subject taken together as given in clause 3.1 (i).
(ii) For admission to first year of BHMCT/BFAD, candidate must have clearly passed without grace, intermediate examination of U. P. Board or 10+2 level examination or its equivalent from any recognized Board / University; securing minimum 45% marks without grace (40% marks for SC/ST category candidates) in aggregate.
(iii) For admission to first year of B. Arch., a candidate must have clearly passed without grace, intermediate examination of U. P. Board or 10 + 2 level examination or its equivalent from any recognized Board / University; securing (i) minimum 50% marks in aggregate and (ii) clearly passed without grace, each compulsory and optional subjects taken together as given in clause 3.1(i).
A candidate possessing three years Diploma in Architecture (10+3) recognized by Central / State Govt., is also eligible for admission to first year of B. Arch. only, provided the candidate has passed the Diploma examination securing minimum 50% marks in aggregate. Such candidates will have to appear in the entrance examination for first year of B. Arch. Paper 4 (clause 4.3).
How to apply: The online submission of particulars may be made at website www.upsee.nic.in. The candidates should supply all the required details while filling up the online form. On submission of details, a Registration Number will be generated. Make the payment and finally a Confirmation page with Registration Number shall be generated. Candidates are required to take printout of Confirmation page and paste their photograph, signature and thumb impression at the specified place and sent it along with the payment of eChallan (if the payment is made through an online generated bank eChallan) through Speed Post only to " Registrar (UPSEE-2012), Gautam Buddh Technical University, IET Campus, Sitapur Road, Lucknow-226021, Uttar Pradesh" so as to reach on or before 5:00 PM, 26.03.2012 . Confirmation Page received after 26.03.2012 will not be accepted. Payment can be made through a online generated Bank eChallan.

UPSEE 2012 IMPORTANT DATES:
Availability of Application Form: 28th February 2012
Last date for Online application: 22nd March 2012
Last date of receive Filled Form: 26th March 2012

UPTU SEE 2012 Examination Schedule:
UG Courses: 22nd April 2012 (Sunday)
MBA/MCA : 21st & 28 April 2012
21st April 2012 (Saturday)
MCA Examination Time:  9:30 AM-11:30 AM & MBA Examination Time:   3:30 PM-5:30 PM
28th April 2012 (Saturday)
MCA Examination Time:  9:30 AM-11:30 AM & MBA Examination Time:   3:30 PM-5:30 PM
Important Official UPTU UPSEE 2012 Examination Website Links
UPTU SEE 2012 Notification Click here
Apply Online for UPTU UPSEE 2012
Download Information Broucher UPSEE 2012 (UG Courses)
List of Enineering Colleges in Uttar Pradesh(UP)
Download Information Broucher UPSEE 2012 (PG Courses)
UPSEE 2012 Syllabus UG
UPSEE 2012 Syllabus MBA/MCA

For UP News & Updates on UPTU SEE 2012, State Examinations Follow on FACEBOOK or Google+ 

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UP Election: Approx. 57% polling in 6th Phase

Uttar Pradesh(UP) 6th Phase polls ends today with approx. 57% Polling in western Uttar Pradesh in 68 assembly constituencies across 13 districts. About 57 percent of the 2.17 crore voters cast their franchise, state chief electoral officer Umesh Sinha said. In some places like Saharanpur 64 percent of the elecorate had cast their ballots. The Congress' sagacity in entering a pre-poll tie-up with Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal will be put to test in this phase in the region, traditionally a stronghold of the new Aviation Minister. The polling, which sees Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh's son Jayant Chaudhury among more than 1,000 candidates testing their luck, opened at 7 am. While the elections were proceeding peacefully, there were some glitches as well. Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal's name was missing from the voters list in Ghaziabad. Polling in Noida, Dadri and Jewar assembly seats in Gautam Budhh Nagar was conducted peacefully.

The CEO said that polling was being held at 22,137 polling stations at 12181 centres, of which 3188 centres and 4892 stations have been marked as sensitive. To keep a tight vigil on polling process, 1015 video cameras and 2353 digital cameras have been installed. In the 2007 assembly polls, 46.58 % votes were polled for 67 seats of which BSP got 35, BJP 12, RLD 10, SP 3, Congress 2 and others 5. All the political parties including Congress, SP, BSP, BJP and RLD have done hectic campaigning in the Jat land of the state.

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Indian Idol 6 Lucknow Audition dates, Schedule, Venues, Registration

Music reality show Indian Idol is back with sixth season on Sony TV. Indian Idol 6 Lucknow Audition will be held on 5th April 2012. The show, which was dropped last year for the launch of 'X Factor India' will be making a comeback later this year. This time Little change Register online participants   they can upload Own  performance videos and grab a chance to perform in front of the judges. Participate In this reality show and prove your talent In  Indian Idil ‘s  6 which be telecast on India’s biggest television Sony TV.  Mini Mathur and Hussain who have previously hosted the show will once again be back as the faces of the show. As regards the judges, Anu Malik is expected to be a part of the show again.
Indian Idol 6 Schedule, Audition dates and Venue:

City: Kolkata
Audition on  March 23-24, 2012
Online registration Will be on : February 16 – March 19, 2012
City: Delhi
Audition on  March 30 – 31, 2012
Online registration Will be on: February 16- March 26, 2012
City: Lucknow
Audition on  April 5, 2012
Online registration Will be on : February 16 – April 1, 2012
City: Ahmedabad
Audition on April 9, 2012
Online registration Will be on: February 16 – April 5
City: Mumbai
Audition on  May 18-19, 2012
Online registration Will be on : February 16- May 14, 2012
Mini Auditions - City :
City Amritsar: on March 11,2012
City Jaipur on  March 18,2012
City Rajkot on April 15, 2012
City Aurangabad on - April 22, 2012

How to register online for Indian Idol 6:

Step 1. Participants need to log on to www.myindianidol.com to register.
Step 2: On the landing page participants will need to input details including
Name, Age, Gender, Contact number, Email ID, Preferred city for auditions from amongst the options provided).
Step 3: Agree to Terms and Conditions of participation. Detailed Terms and Conditions for participation are available at www.myindianidol.com
Step 4: Provide answer in space provided to the following question: 'Why do you think you could be the next Indian Idol?'

Indian idol 6 audition registration through SMS:You can also register yourself for Indian idol 6 audition through SMS as follows:
IDOL(space)age(space)gender(space)city name to 52525.
For example: "IDOL 16 F DEL"
The city codes for shortlisted audition locations are as below:
Mumbai- MUM, Lucknow- LUC, Delhi- DEL, Ahmedabad- AHM, Kolkata- KOL
Every SMS sent to the participation numbers will be charged Upto Rs.3/- per SMS - 52525(All Subscribers).

Indian idol 6 audition registration through IVR- Please Dial dial 5052525 to register BSNL landline subscribers from Punjab & Rajasthan need to dial 1255525 to register.
All calls made to the participation numbers will be charged Upto Rs.6.99 / minute

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Polling for 6th phase begins in Uttar Pradesh

Polling for the sixth phase of UP assembly elections covering 68 seats spread over 13 districts began on Tuesday that would decide the fate of RLD's youth face Jayant Chaudhary and state Energy Min Ramveer Upadhyaya among others. Thirteen districts where polling would be held include Saharanpur, Prabuddha Nagar, Meerut, Bagpath, Ghaziabad, Panchsheel Nagar, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar, Mathura, Mahamayanagar and Agra. "More than 2.17 crore voters are expected to cast their votes at 22137 polling centres," the Election Commission said. A total of 1103 candidates, including 1017 men and 86 women are in the fray in this phase. To ensure free and fair elections adequate force, including central forces, has been deployed.
All the political parties including Congress, SP, BSP, BJP and RLD have extensively campaigned in the Jat land of the state. This phase would test the popularity of Congress' alliance with Ajit Singh led Rashtriya Lok Dal which has its stronghold in the western region of the state. It would also decide the fate of youth face of RLD Jayant Chaudhary, Energy Minister Ramveer Upadhyaya, deputy leader of BJP Legislative Party Hukkum Singh and former minister Rajveer Singh, who is also son of former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh. While Jayant, who is MP from Mathura is contesting from Math seat in Mathura, Energy Minister Ramveer is seeking rerun from Sikandrarau seat in Hathras district. Ramveer's prominence would also be put to test in Sadabad and Dibai seats from where his brother-in-law Satyendra Sharma and brother Vinod Updhayaya are contesting respectively.

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UPPSC Judicial Service Exam 2012 Notification, dates, Papers

Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission(UPPSC), Allahabad invites applications for UP Judicial Service Examination 2012 from suitable candidates for admission to the UP Judicial Service Civil Judge (Junior Division) Examination 2012.
Job Post: Civil Judge (Junior Division)

Total Post: 76 [UR=38, OBC=20,SC=16,ST=02]
Age: 22-35 Years
Pay Scale: Rs. 27700-44770
Qualification: Bachelor of Laws of a University established by Law in UP or any other University of India recognised for this purposes by the Governor & Must possess thorough knowledge of Hindi in Devnagri Script.
Paper Patter: The competitive examination comprise three successive stages viz:-
Preliminary Examination (Objective Type & Multiple choice)
Main Examination (Conventional Type, i.e. Written examination)
Viva- Voce (Personality Test)
Preliminary Examination: The Preliminary examination will consist of two compulsory papers (General Knowledge 150 marks, Law 200 marks) of which answer sheet are on OMR sheets. Candidates will be given 2 hours for each paper.
Subjects for the Main (Written) Examination: The Written examination will consist of the following subjects.
General Knowledge (200 marks)
Language (200 marks)
Law - I (Substantive Law) 200 marks
Law-II (Procedure and Evidence) 200 marks
Law-III (Penal, Revenue and Local Laws) 200 marks
Personality Test (Viva-Voce) : The suitability of candidates for employment in the Uttar Pradesh, Judicial Service will be tested with reference to his merit giving due regard to his ability, character, personality, and physique.
How to Apply: Interested eligible candidates can apply through OMR application form which will be available from the Head Post Office of the Districts or from the Post Offices mentioned in the advertisement. The form complete in all respect must reach The Secretary Advt.  No.  A-2/E-1/2012Public Service Commission, UP Allahabad-211018 either by Registered Post or personally (by hand) before the last date.

Important dates:
Last date for application: 1st March 2012

Date for Preliminary Examination: 13 May 2012
For Job Notification Click here

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Varun Gandhi predicts SP as UP polls winner

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Varun Gandhi predicts Mulayam Singh's Samajwadi Party (SP) as the single largest winner in the Uttar Pradesh election while he says the Congress and the BJP would both improve their tallies at the cost of the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of Mayawati. "... I feel it is probably a truism that SP will be the single largest party in UP, but other than that I don't know how much BJP, Congress and BSP will get. "But I think the BJP will do significantly better. But I can't say how much. I think SP will be the single largest gainer but I can't say how well," Varun Gandhi told NDTV in an interview even as two more phases of polls remained in Uttar Pradesh.Varun said BJP has at least "55 candidates" who can be chief ministers but parties projecting names as chief ministers are at an advantage because in that case it is easy for the people to identify.
"It is a human relationship craft. If you do not have one person your message gets diffused. But I think the BJP is one step ahead as it has 55 chief ministerial candidates." Making a case for naming chief ministerial candidates, Varun said "people vote for people" and not for symbols. The Congress had a "genuine problem" as it does not have a single state leader who has the stature, Varun said, adding that if the party named one person as the chief ministerial candidate there would be infighting. "But I think the seats will go up. Because I think I have a habit speaking of speaking my mind. I don't think the BJP is going to get 250 seats. But I certainly think they will do better than 51 which is what they got the last time," he said. Meanwhile, a senior BJP leader reacted to the predictions of Varun. "Varun is a good psephologist," said Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi of BJP.

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Narrow escape for SP leader Anuradha Chaudhry

Samajwadi Party General Secretary Anuradha Chaudhry averted a major tragedy when she was pulled back by the pilot of her helicopter for standing too close to its moving blades. The incident happened last evening when Chaudhry, who accompanied SP state chief Akhilesh Yadav, was waving to supporters. In another incident, Peace Party president Mohmmad Ayub refused to travel in a helicopter which had developed a technical fault yesterday and instead chose to go by road to Modinagar.

Anuradha Choudhary recently joins SP just ahead of UP Polls 2012. The western region, bordering Uttarakhand, Haryana and Delhi, has remained the weakest link for the SP, while Anuradha Choudhary who recently joined the party, ending her 16-year-long association with Ajit Singh could bring some smile for SP in Jat dominating western UP.  In her recent interview she said “Well, I am not against anybody. I do not specifically name any person. I am with Mulayam Singh, so I am campaigning for the party,” said Anuradha. When asked if she will be able to bring Jats to the SP fold, Anuradha replied: “It is not the question of a community. Only results will tell that how effective I had been in the elections. There is a voice for change and SP has appeared as an alternative,” she said.

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Campaign for 6th phase of UP polls ends, Jat votes crucial

Campaign for the sixth and penultimate phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly polls in 68 seats spread over 13 districts, including Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida), came to an end on Sunday. The electioneering saw leaders of all political parties including Congress, SP, BSP, BJP and RLD working hard to woo voters in the area popularly known as 'Jat land'. "The polling will be held on February 28," joint chief electoral officer Anita Meshram said in Lucknow on Sunday. She said the districts where polling would be held on Tuesday are Saharanpur, Prabuddha Nagar, Meerut, Baghpath, Ghaziabad, Panchsheel Nagar, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar, Mathura, Mahamayanagar and Agra. "More than 2.17 crore voters are expected to cast their votes at 22,137 polling centres," she said.
A total 1,103 candidates, including 1,017 male and 86 female, are in the fray in this phase. The JCEO said that to ensure free and fair elections adequate force, including central forces, would be deployed. This phase would decide the popularity of Congress' alliance with Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) which has its stronghold in the western parts of the state. 

UP Election 2012 Phase 6 Dates, Seats, Candidates

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Kejriwal Calls MPs 'Robbers', 'Murderers' and 'Rapists'

Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal’s comments here on Saturday terming the Parliamentarians 'robbers' and 'rapists' have sparked off a huge controversy with the entire political class coming down heavily on the noted social activist. In a public awakening programme here yesterday, Kejriwal said all types of bad elements including robbers and rapists have overpowered Parliament.  Addressing a gathering of around 2000 people in Greater Noida on Saturday, he said, "There are criminals, rapists and murderers running our Parliament. I think our Parliament has become a problem for us." The comments by the anti-corruption crusader did not go down well with the political parties, including the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).  While the Congress termed it as disrespect towards Parliament and people of India, the BJP said that it depicted the arrogance of Team Anna.
Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said, "We don't want to comment on such comments by Kejriwal. Such comments show disrespect towards parliament and people of India who elect MPs & MLAs. They make such comments for publicity." "This shows how arrogant these people are. It is not the right thing to say everyone is corrupt just to prove themselves right," said BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

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Team Anna demands 'Right to Reject' Button on EVM

Demanding electoral reforms, social activist Anna Hazare and his team met the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) earlier asking for the ‘right to reject’ option in Electronic Voting Machines(EVM) and barring of candidates against whom courts have framed charges, from fighting elections. The activists demanded that two election commissioners should also get constitutional status like that of CEC. Hazare and his team members including Justice (retired) Santosh Hegde, advocate Prashant Bhushan, RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi met CEC SY Qureshi and discussed the issues with him for around an hour.

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Jaiswal Returns: Rahul can be PM at midnight if he desires

Its Not SUPERMAN RETURNS, Its now Jaiswal Returns in UP politics after his controversial comments about imposition of President's rule in Uttar Pradesh, Union minister Sriprakash Jaiswal on Saturday created a flutter again when he said Rahul Gandhi could become prime minister "even at midnight if he so desires". "Rahul Gandhi can become prime minister at 12 tonight, he can administer the oath of office and no one can stop that. But neither does he want to become the prime minister nor the chief minister," he said, addressing a public rally at Mathura. Jaiswal, who has expressed readiness to become the chief minister if the high command so wanted, also assured people of the area that he would give them the "the best ministry Mathura ever had" if they ensured the win of the party candidate.
Jaiswal had triggered a controversy a couple of days ago with his remark that whoever becomes the Congress chief minister in UP, Rahul would be the remote control. Only on Friday, the Election Commission had held prima facie that his comment on imposition of President's Rule in Uttar Pradesh was a threat to voters and violated the model code of conduct. The poll panel had slapped a showcause notice on Jaiswal. We hope Jaiswal know the requirement for being CM of Uttar Pradesh (UP) is Majority in Assembly Election and specially in UP, Congress have a long journey ahead.

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UPPSC Exam calendar 2012

Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (RPSC), Allahabad has announced yearly exam calender for year 2012, which includes most awaited UPPSC Pre Exam 2012, Main Exam 2012, Programmer Grade-II Exam on 25th March 2012 and other examination's dates are announced. As per schedule displayed on UPPPSC Website its have dates of seven mains exams held by UPPSC in calendar year 2012. Hope UPPSC will stick to plan and candidates will gets more job opportunity in upcoming year 2012.
Visit here RPSC Exam Calendar 2012

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Allahabad Bank Recruitment 2012 for 1600 Probationary Officers

Allahabad Bank (A Government of India undertaking) invites ONLINE applications from Indian Citizens for the following posts form the candidates who have taken the pre-requisite Common Written Examination (CWE) for Probationary Officers/ Management Trainees conducted by Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), Mumbai in 2011-12 and have a valid Score card issued by IBPS. :

Job Post: Probationary Officer (PO)

Total Post: 1600 posts (UR-800, SC-240, ST-128, OBC-432) (PH-100)

Pay Scale: JMG-I Grade Rs. 14500 - 25700

Age : 20-30 years as on 01/07/2011.

Application Fee : Rs.200/- (Rs.50/- for SC/ST/PWD) to be paid by a Fee Payment Challan in Allahabad Bank.

How To Apply: Apply Online at Allahabad Bank website only from 18/02/2012 to 10/03/2012. After applying online, take a print out of the system generated registration details and keep it safely for future reference, do not send it to the bank.

Last date: 10 March 2012

For Job Notification visit: http://www.allahabadbank.in/recruitment.asp
For more Govt/PSU Jobs visit: http://www.jobkhabar.com/

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Cheap remarks made Nagma angered at Congress rally - Video

Bollywood actress Nagma was angered upon by a cheap remark made by one of the Congress advocates in Bijnaur. The remark was made by a man named qamaruddin during a election rally and while he mentioned of supporting Rahul Gandhi,he made along with a cheap remark upon which Nagma was blatantly angered. Nagma had come here as part of the Congress party's election campaign, and Hussain was constantly trying to come close to her. The actor wanted him to be kept at arm's length, but the man was eager to garland her, and in doing so his fingers, deliberately or otherwise, touched her  shoulder. And what happened on the dais went totally against the script. Nagma gave him a severe tongue-lashing. 'Aap itne naaraaz na hon'....'Aap bakwaas karne aaye hain'...'Nahin, main bakwaas nahin kar raha hoon', were some of the verbal arrows aimed at each other.
Nagma firmly objected to this cheap shero-shayri and finally left the venue in a huff. Now, over to the voter for the final verdict.

Watch Exclusive FULL Video: http://youtu.be/1Odnsc7Ah3I

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NRHM scam: CBI registers 4 new cases

Taking its probe further in the National Rural Health Mission scam in Uttar Pradesh, CBI on Friday registered four fresh cases relating to alleged irregularities in medical supplies and carried out searches in 22 districts. CBI sources said agency teams swooped down on 30 locations, including the medicine market in Aminabad locality in Lucknow, as part of a massive search operation on Friday morning. With the registration of fresh cases, CBI has so far registered 12 cases in connection with alleged embezzlement in over Rs 10,000 central funds allocated under the NRHM. The agency has named several doctors and medicine suppliers under the new set of FIRs, the sources said.
The CBI action comes days after it questioned former Family Welfare Minister of the state Babu Singh Kushwaha, who is a prime accused in the scam, and his close aide BSP MLA Ram Prasad Jaiswal, they said. According to sources, residences of some doctors, and medicine suppliers are also covered in the operation.

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59% Polling in Uttarpradesh Phase 5

Around 59. 2 percent of the total over 1.56 crore voters cast their ballots as balloting for the fifth phase of the assembly elections in India’s most populous and politically crucial state Uttar Pradesh ended peacefully on Thursday evening. A total of 49 seats were up for grabs in this round spread across 13 districts. While the last two phases were crucial for the Gandhi-Nehru clan, this is one round which is an acid test for Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav led Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since Uma Bharati has also thrown her hat in the ring in this phase.
The 13 districts where polling was held were Firozabad, Kanshiram Nagar, Etah, Mainpuri, Etawah, Auraiya, Ramabainagar, Kanpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Hamirpur and Mahoba. This is a round crucial for both the SP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP feisty woman leader Uma Bharati, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, is in the fray in this round fighting the polls from Charkhari seat in Mahoba district. In this phase, the backward Bundelkhand region (Etah district) went to polls as well. The backward region is a stronghold of Samajwadi Party but in a byelection in 2009, one crucial seat was wrested from them by the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Uttar Pradesh will go to vote in two more stages on Feb 28 and Mar 3. Counting of votes is on March 6 along with all four other states that are going to elections this year.

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Fifth Phase Polling begins in Uttar Pradesh

Polling for the fifth phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections covering 49 seats spread over 13 district, including Bundelkhand region, began in Lucknow on Thursday. Fate of 829 candidates, including that of Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Shivpal Singh Yadav, BJP leader Uma Bharati and former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh would be decided by more than 1.56 crore electorates. Polling for 49 seats in Firozabad, Kanshiram Nagar, Etah, Mainpuri, Etawah, Auraiya, Ramabainagar, Kanpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Hamirpur and Mahoba districts started at 7 AM amidst tight security, Chief Electoral officer Umesh Sinha said. The CEO said that polling was being held at 17,267 polling stations at 11,745 centres. While 2,104 stations have been identified as sensitive, 2,256 have been marked as hyper sensitive. To check any irregularity at polling stations 981 video cameras and 2,100 digital cameras have been installed, Sinha said.
The fifth phase would cover assembly seats in backward Bundelkhand region, bastions of SP and former chief minister Kalyan Singh. In this phase, Shivpal Singh Yadav is seeking re-election from Jaswantnagar seat in Etawah district. Fate of firebrand leader Uma Bharati, who is making her debut in UP electoral politics, would be put to test from Charkhari seat in Mahoba district. Charisma and political strength of former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh would also be tested in this phase when elections would be held in his stronghold of Etah. While former minister and state president of BJP's women wing Premlata Katiyar is in the fray from Kalyanpur seat in Kanpur, a minister in BSP government Jaiveer Singh is contesting from Karhal seat. Among kin of political leaders, daughter of BSP state president and cabinet minister Swami Prasad Maurya, Sanghmitra Gautam is contesting from Aliganj seat in Etah district. Similarly, Shikha Mishra, wife of former health minister Anant Kumar Mishra alias Antu Mishra, who resigned following the NRHM scam, is in the fray from Maharajpur seat in Kanpur district. Like previous four phases the Election Commission expects higher turnout of electorates as compared to 47.57 per cent in 2007 polls. In last assembly elections in 2007 there were 53 seats in fifth phase of which BSP won 27, SP 14, BJP 6, Congress 4 and others 2. This time polling would be held in two new districts Kanshiram Nagar and Ramabai Nagar.

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West UP can be industrial hub: BJP

Western Uttar Pradesh has a potential to become the commercial and industrial hub of India but during the last decade has turned into the epicentre of criminal and communal activities, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Tuesday. The BJP leader Ananth Kumar claimed here that to spark communal hatred the Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party were hand in glove and were aiming to amend the constitution for introducing the much talked-about Muslim quota in the government jobs. Ananth Kumar also trained BJP workers in micro level booth management.

He arrived here from Gorakhpur by road and said while travelling he had seen enthusiasm in the electorate to vote against the ruling party. The heavy turnout of about 60 percent in the polling phases held so far showed that the voters were impatient to throw the BSP government out, he said.

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Govt denies plans to curb Election Commission's powers

Stung by attacks from the opposition, the government Tuesday denied it planned to curb the Election Commission's powers to implement the model code of conduct during elections. A Group of Ministers (GoM) on corruption was only considering "state funding of elections", an official statement said. "The GoM has not made any recommendation to make the model mode of conduct statutory or to take it outside the purview of the election commission," the statement from the department of personnel, public grievances and pensions said. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit out at the Congress, saying it was a party of "serial offenders" of the Election Commission's model code of conduct. "We will oppose weakening of the EC... the Congress doesn't like to be regulated by it," BJP leader Arun Jaitley said.
The government clarified that the GoM on corruption, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, had "state funding of elections" as one of its mandates. "The contents of the report are totally misconceived as there is no such move under contemplation of the government or the GoM," the government statement said. The GoM, in its last meeting Sep 30, considered a presentation by the secretary of the legislative department on the viability of alternatives on the question of state funding of elections. Mukherjee, in his reaction to the reports, said the issue of Election Commission's powers "has come up for the first time and there is nothing on the GoM's agenda". Law Minister Salman Khurshid, Communications Minister Kapil Sibal and Corporate Affairs Minister M. Veerappa Moily concurred. "To my knowledge, there is no such thing on the agenda. As far as I understand, it was agreed that once the elections are over, there will be an all-party consultation on the issue about electoral reforms which are being pushed by the Election Commission," Khurshid said. Sibal said: "I am on the GoM and have not dealt with the issue and ... there is no such proposal." Moily, however, said the UPA government's decision will be "a considered" one as it has always supported the autonomy of the Election Commission. Congress leaders have run into trouble with the Election Commission in Uttar Pradesh after promising a quota in education and government jobs for Muslims. The election panel has objected to these statements and termed them as violation of the model code.

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Rahul takes Kanpur by storm but faces poll code breach charge

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Monday took Kanpur by storm, but faced a case for violating the model code of conduct. Denying the charge, the Congress accused the district administration of trying to stop his programme at the Mayawati government's behest. Gandhi faced the charge after choosing to undertake a longer road-show than what the district administration had permitted him. "Mr. Rahul Gandhi clearly violated the permission that was granted by the administration for his road-show. Hence a case has been registered against him under sections of the IPC for disobeying prohibitory orders, causing danger and obstruction to the city roads and creating nuisance," District Magistrate Hari Om told reporters "We had to observe caution also on account of Shivratri today (Monday)," he said.
According to the official, Gandhi was granted permission to undertake his road-show along a 20- km route against the party's application for covering a 37-km route. No sooner than the administration's decision was conveyed to Gandhi at the Circuit House, he instantly drove out and chose to move on the route he had planned for his road-show. Accompanied by Coal Minister Shriprakash Jaiswal, who is also the local Congress MP, Gandhi rode on the gate of a bus, waving out to the crowds, who had gathered in large numbers everywhere he went. Unlike Lucknow where his road-show last week turned out to be a damp squib, Gandhi drew huge crowds along the entire route that covered each of the district's six state assembly constituencies. as the motorcade slowed down at the busy Ramadevi crossing, an old woman got close and offered him a garland. People, including women and children could be seen perched on rooftops and balconies to catch a glimpse of Rahul, who waved out at them in acknowledgement of their greetings. Congress flags, banners and buntings were visible all along the route, where many people showered flower petals on him, while Congress activists raised chants of "Rahul Gandhi aaye hain, nayi roshni laye hain (Rahul Gandhi has come to show a new light)." State Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi denied there was any violation of the model code of conduct as during the mass contact programme, Gandhi neither addressed a meeting, nor took out a procession. Accusing the district administration of trying to stop Gandhi's programme at Mayawati's behest, she said the party had apprised the Election Commission of the matter. In New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that Gandhi had not committed any illegality and a legitimate campaign is a fundamental part of free democratic rights. "Appropriate legal proceedings shall be taken in this regard," said Singhvi, who heads the party's legal affairs department and was apparently consulted by Gandhi following the district officials action. Jaiswal dared the authorities can file an FIR against him. "I had invited Rahul Gandhi for the roadshow. Let the authorities file an FIR against me," he said. Kanpur will go to polls in the fifth phase of polling Feb 23.

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Not guilty of violating model code, Verma tells poll panel

Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma has told the Election Commission he was not guilty of violating the model code of conduct as his comments on a quota for minorities were made in context of his party's manifesto, Congress sources said Monday. The sources said Verma sent his reply to the Commission's notice in a sealed cover ahead of the Monday deadline. In the letter, Verma is learnt to have pleaded that he was not guilty of a poll code violation. Verma's reply is likely to be taken up by the poll panel Tuesday. The Election Commission had issued a show cause notice to Verma finding his remarks on minorities sub-quota a "prima facie" violation of model code, after the minister dared the poll body to take action against him.
Addressing a poll rally in Farrukhabad last week, Verma had said that reservation for Muslims will be increased and if the Election Commission wants, it can issue him a notice. Verma is the second minister from the Congress to draw the poll panel's ire after Law Minister Salman Khurshid for his remarks on reservations for minorities. The Congress had said earlier in the day that Verma had no intention to disrespect the Commission. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the party expected a "balanced view" from the Commission. "Let me make it clear, especially after my discussions with him (Beni Prasad Verma), there is no question of the slightest disrespect intended or done in any manner to the Election Commission," Singhvi said. "I know Mr. Verma holds it (the Election Commission) in the highest esteem, and whatever he has said is on record. Certainly, the intent was neither to violate any law nor to violate any model code of conduct, nor to bring down the dignity of the Election Commission," Singhvi said.(IANS)

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Jats to step up stir, government warns of stern action

Hisar (Haryana), As their talks with the district administration in Haryana's Hisar failed to reach a settlement, leaders of the Jat community called for stepping up their agitation from Tuesday even as the government warned they would be dealt with sternly. Jat leader Yashpal Malik said the community will block railway tracks and roads from Tuesday after talks with the authorities failed to clinch a breakthrough here Monday evening. Hisar Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Aggarwal asked the community not to resume the agitation, and said that the paramilitary Rapid Action Force has been requisitioned in the district to deal with any situation. Having failed to secure reservation for their community from the state and central governments, protesors from the Jat community blocked rail tracks in Hisar district Monday morning.
Police said the tracks were blocked near Mayyar village in Hisar, 280 km from Chandigarh, disrupting rail services through the area. The agitating Jats Sunday served a 24-hour ultimatum to the central and state governments to make an announcement regarding reservation for the Jat community in government jobs. The ultimatum ended at 5 p.m. Monday. The community members had led a three-week-long agitation in the Jat-dominated districts of Hisar, Jind and Bhiwani in Haryana in March last year, seeking reservation in government jobs under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota. They had later withdrawn the agitation after the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government assured it would take up their case with the central government. The Hooda government later set up the Haryana Backward Classes Commission to look into the reservation aspect. The commission is considering the demands of the Roar, Jat, Jat Sikh, Tyagi, Bishnoi and other communities who wish to be classified as backward classes in the state. Last year, the protestors, including women, children and the elderly, had blocked rail tracks at 15 points across Haryana. The worst affected were Hisar, Bhiwani and Jind districts.

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Rahul Gandhi violates code of conduct in Kanpur

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi violated the election model code of conduct during a road show in this Uttar Pradesh city and action will be taken against the organisers, officials said Monday. District Magistrate Hari Om said Gandhi did not follow the route proposed by the district administration for his road show but took an alternative route. "We have proposed an alternate route for Rahul Gandhi's road show keeping in mind his security and heavy traffic due to the Mahashivratri festival Monday. But he did not follow the route proposed by us," Hari Om told reporters here.
He said that Gandhi also flouted prohibitory orders in the city that banned any assembly of more than four people at a spot. The district magistrate said action would be taken against the organisers and those who participated in the road show. Asked if action would be taken against Gandhi, Hari Om said: "We will take action against the organisers. We may consider action against those who participated. Definitely, we can consider it. Why can't it be taken against Rahul Gandhi?" (IANS)

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No government bailout for Kingfisher: Ajit Singh

New Delhi/Mumbai, Feb 20 Operations of cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines continued to be disrupted for the third consecutive day Monday even as the government reiterated that it will not bailout the Vijay Mallya-led carrier. "Government is not going to give any bailout or ask the banks to bailout any private airline or any private industry for that matter," Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh told reporters here. According to Singh, the the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is looking into the matter and is awaiting a reply from the airline. "DGCA is inquiring into the matter. Our first concern is about the ongoing flights and that passenger safety should not be compromised. Let us see what reply they (Kingfisher Airlines) give," Singh said. Singh blamed the crisis on the airline management for not paying its employees as a reason behind Saturday's strike in Kolkata. "They did not give salary to their employees for many months, people went on strike in Kolkata. Naturally, the flights got cancelled," Singh said. On Sunday the regulator ordered an inquiry into the large-scale cancellations.
"We have called for the cancellation data from all over the country. They did not inform us of any cancellation plans," DGCA director general E.K. Bharat Bhusan told IANS. "This is unprecedented act which has led us to take this step (investigation)," Bhusan added. According to a DGCA official, the airline has violated rule 140 section A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937 by not seeking the prior approval of the regulator before curtailing its schedule and has already violated civil aviation requirements (CAR) regulations which ensures compensation to the passengers in case of denied boarding, cancellations and delays. The carrier's is only operating 16 of its fleet of 64 planes. The cancellations have affected incoming or outbound flights in major metros like New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata. The abrupt flight cancellations has created major problems for passengers waiting to travel after having booked their tickets months in advance, officials at the national capital's Indira Gnadhi International (IGI) airport and Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport told IANS. A KFA spokesperson blamed the flight disruptions on certain unexpected incidents like 'bird hits' which rendered its aircraft unserviceable. The flight disruptions are expected to continue for another three to four days with only 208 flights in operations, but the carrier has not shut down nor does it plan to close down any stations, the official said. "The speculation that we are reducing our operating schedule from 240 flights a day are ill-founded, as we will operate the full schedule on our booking system within the next four days," the spokesperson added. While admitting that its bank accounts have been attached by the Income Tax Department, KFA said in the past also similar issues have happened and they have been resolved. The developments come after high fuel costs and falling revenue resulted in KFA losses in the third quarter of the current fiscal mounting to Rs.444 crore from a net loss of Rs.254 crore suffered in the like quarter of 2010-11.

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Amitabh to be discharged from hospital soon

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan will be relieved "in a day or two" from the SevenHills Hospital, where he is recuperating following two abdominal surgeries. "Amitabh's health is improving. Doctors will take a call regarding his discharge from the hospital by today (Monday) evening. He should be discharged in a day or two," a source told IANS. The 69-year-old, who was admitted to the hospital Feb 11 for the surgery, has shown signs of improvement -- he is going through hunger pangs, and also walked around a bit in his room. Amitabh underwent two abdominal surgeries, after which he developed acute pain. Doctors contemplated another surgery, but the plan was shelved after his condition began to improve. Now he seems to be in a much better position, and should be home soon to play with his granddaughter -- son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai's daughter, nicknamed Beti B -- soon.
Big B's health condition stems from his near-fatal accident on the sets of "Coolie" in 1982. Ever since, he has been frequently admitted to hospitals for treatment. After his "Coolie" accident, he was reportedly attacked by the life-threatening disease Myasthenia Gravis, a neuromuscular ailment that causes muscle weakness. In November 2005, he was back in the hospital -- first he was admitted to Escorts Hospital in the capital and later shifted to Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital with diverticulitis of the small intestine - when the walls of the large or small intestine tend to get weaker leading to an inflammation. On Nov 30, 2005, he was operated on for the problem and he had to be in the hospital for two months. Three years later, on his birthday, Oct 11, he complained of pain and was rushed to hospital. He was suspected to be suffering from incisional hernia, a recurring problem that has been troubling him for the past 30 years.(IANS)

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Haryana Jats block rail track seeking reservation

Having failed to secure reservation for their community from the state and central governments, protestors from the Jat community blocked rail tracks in Haryana's Hisar district Monday morning. Police said the protestors blocked the tracks near Mayyar village in Hisar district, 280 km from here, disrupting rail services in the area. The agitating Jats had Sunday served a 24-hour ultimatum to the central and state governments to make an announcement regarding reservation for the Jat community in government jobs. The ultimatum ends at 5 p.m. Monday but the protestors started the first phase of their agitation Monday morning itself.
The Jats had led a three-week-long agitation in the Jat-dominated districts of Hisar, Jind and Bhiwani in Haryana in March last year seeking reservation for the community in government jobs under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota. They had later withdrawn the agitation after the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government assured it would take up their case with the central government. The Hooda government later set up the Haryana Backward Classes Commission to look into the reservation aspect. The commission is considering the demands of the Roar, Jat, Jat Sikh, Tyagi, Bishnoi and other communities who wish to be classified as backward classes in the state. Last year, the protesters, including women, children and the elderly, had blocked rail tracks at 15 points across Haryana. The worst affected were Hisar, Bhiwani and Jind districts.(IANS)

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From same IIT Delhi room springs another writer

New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) It might just be haunted by the ghost of a writer! For, NB 24 at Kumaon Hostel of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi is the very room that planted the writing bug in two 'old boys' - popular mass fiction writer Chetan Bhagat and his senior S.V. Divvaakar. Divvaakar, a mechanical engineer and business consultant, is walking on Bhagat's trail with his first work of IIT fiction, "The Winner's Price: Life Beyond the Campus", a tech-thriller about five IITians. "This is a coincidence. But we - Bhagat and I - lived in the same room at IIT Delhi's Kumaon Hostel NB 24. I was senior to Bhagat by a few years and inhabited the room before him," Divvaakar told IANS. His book adds to the growing kitty of IIT books by students of the institute that took off with Bhagat's "Five Point Someone" eight years ago and is fast becoming an independent genre of popular fiction. It sparked a near flood of IIT titles like Tushar Raheja's "Anything for You, Ma'am", Neeraj Chibba's "Zero Percantile: Missed IIT, Kissed Russia", Amitabha Bagchi's "Above Average" and Suman Hossain's "A Guy Thing...A Magical Love Story of an IITian" and Saumil Shrivastava's "A Roller Coaster Ride - When An IITian Met a Bitsian Girl". Now comes "The Winner's Price". To be released Feb 24 is also the first fiction from Konark Publishers, known for its non-fiction titles.
The book packs in social commitment and a mystery, the writer said. Five friends, Harsh, Rocky, Armani, Ravi and Kamal meet 25 years after graduating from the institute at the reunion party to recap. Memories lead to the present and the friends find themselves discussing the present state of affairs at IIT and Anna Hazare's anti-corruption drive. The narrative takes off after the Lokpal Bill is passed because of excellent floor management and a scramble to implement transparency law begins. The friends suddenly realise that they have a transparency issue to settle among themselves and every victory exacts a price, Divvakaar said. The story travels across three locales - India, Dubai and California. "I have explored the Karnataka mining scam in the book and have commented how union minister Kapil Sibal's proposal to scrap the JEE entrance test and merge it with school results could draw less meritorious students to the IIT campus. The JEE entrance is one of the toughest entrance tests in the country and it was independent of school results," Divvaakar said. The writer said, "The IIT coaching industry was estimated around Rs.10,000 crore annually." An independent musician, Divvaakar has composed a song, "Ai Ai yo..." for the cinematic adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's "Two States" and has sent it to filmmaker Karan Johar. "The jingle features Chetan in its opening lyrics," said the writer, a 1982 graduate. Divvaakar had earlier composed hymns for the Commonwealth Games and "100 years of Delhi" which was played in the PVRs and on Doordarshan. He had cut an album for Sony-CBS in 1982 after meeting (late) composer Salil Chowdhury's son, who composed one of the tracks. "I am working on my second book, 'Getting Mom Married', about widow re-marriage in the changing social context of modern India," Divvaakar said.

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Lindsay Lohan to host 'Saturday Night Live' on March 3

Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan was so keen to make her comeback with the comedy show "Saturday Night Live" that she herself approached executive producer Lorne Michaels to book the hosting gig. Lohan has always enjoyed doing the show but was waiting for the right time to do it again, reports tmz.com. According to sources, Lohan feels doing the show again will remind people she is an actress, not a defendant.
Sources close to Lohan told tmz.com that she has always felt the "Saturday Night Live" executive producer has been very fatherly towards her throughout the years. So now that her community service is coming to an end, sources said Lohan called up Lorne and asked him to consider her for the show again. They had multiple conversations and eventually settled on a date -- March 3.

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UP Polls: Voters boycott poll for no development

Protesting against the lack of development, voters at the Patna polling station in Tindwari assembly constituency of Uttar Pradesh's Banda district boycotted the assemblypolls Sunday. Election Commission sources said this is the first such incident during the four phases of the seven-phase state Assembly polls, which started Feb 8.

Stating the boycott was 100 percent, they further said the sector magistrate of the area verified to the poll panel that the voters faced no intimidation to stay away from casting their ballots. In fact, a section of voters announced in the morning that they would boycott balloting due as a mark of protest against lack of development in the area.

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57 % turnout in UP's fourth phase

The voter turnout in the fourth phase of Uttar Pradesh's assembly elections, across 56 constituencies, Sunday was recorded at 57 percent, the poll panel said. Sunday. The turnout Sunday was higher than the 43.84 percent polling percentage in the 2007 assembly elections, said Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi. Polling was largely peaceful, he added. Starting on a sluggish note, voting across 56 constituencies, including Lucknow, in the fourth phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections Sunday picked up pace through the day to end at an estimated 57 percent, officials said. Polling was peaceful. The turnout was a marked improvement over the 2007 state elections when the turnout stood at a paltry 42 percent and an all time low of 36 percent in Lucknow, where Sunday it shot up to about 55 percent.
In other key places like Rae Bareli and Amethi, the parliamentary constituencies of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her son and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi respectively, the voter turnout was also recorded at about 57 percent. Pegging the turnout at 57 percent and likely to rise, state chief electoral officer Umesh Sinha expressed his satisfaction at the voters' enthusiasm. "I am glad that voting has gone way ahead of the last election. In fact, that was the endeavour of the election commission," he said.
For the BJP, the absence of former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was pinching, specially in Lucknow, which he had represented in parliament till 2009. However, party leaders were still euphoric at their chances. "First of all I must thank the election comission whose efforts are responsible for this appreciable rise in the voter turnout today. But another important fact that cannot be ignored is that voters are coming out in larger numbers simply to express their anger against the misdeeds of the ruling BSP as well as SP, whose misgovernance they have experienced just prior to Mayawati's," former BJP president and former UP chief minister Rajnath Singh told reporters shortly after casting his vote here. "BJP is all set to get a majority in this state," said BJP's chief campaigner Uma Bharti. The Congress was also upbeat about its chances and attributed the high turnout to the efforts of Rahul Gandhi. "The higher voter turnout is all attributable to the painstaking campaign carried out Rahul Gandhi and I have reason to believe that the youth of this state is impressed by him. Therefore, the Congress is all set for a major stride and return to power in this state," said party state chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi.

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Stones pelted at Salman Khursheed's wife Louis

Farrukhabad (Uttar Pradesh), Feb 19, Louis Khursheed, Congress leader and wife of union Law Minister Salman Khursheed, had a narrow escape Sunday evening as a group of people pelted stones at a polling booth here, from where she is contesting the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, for allegedly promoting bogus voting. The protesters charged her with "facilitating voting by her supporters" inside a booth at a primary school in Bibiganj after the 5 p.m. deadline.
As the gates were closed for voting and the people who had queued up were taken in, a group of Bharatiya Janata Party and Bahujan Samaj Party workers gathered near the booth and started shouting slogans. The protesters even pelted stones at the polling booth where Louis Khursheed was standing. They accused her of trying to influence voters and promoting bogus voting. Farrukhabad Superintendent of Police Mohit Gupta said that an incident had been reported from Bibiganj and he had asked officials to investigate the matter. "Such reports have come to me and I have asked Louis Khursheed to send me a formal complaint so that the matter may be looked into," Gupta said.(IANS)

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Mulayam will bring back 'gunda raj': Mayawati

Firozabad (Uttar Pradesh), Feb 19 Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati Saturday said here that "gunda and mafia raj" would return to the state if the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party came to power in the assembly polls. Addressing a rally at the CL College ground, Mayawati said the central government was corrupt. She said she had already removed corrupt ministers from her party and other tainted people would be weeded out soon.
Elections in Uttar Pradesh's 403 constituencies are being held in seven phases. In the fourth phase Sunday, an estimated 57 percent voting was recorded in 56 constituencies. The last phase of the polls is scheduled for March 3 and the results would be out March 6. (IANS)

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BSP has cheated Dalits: BJP

Accusing the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of cheating the Dalits in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunday said that the ruling party had exploited the socially marginalised people instead of empowering them. "The 'sarvajan hitay' (everyone's welfare) policy of the BSP government became Swajan Hitay (self and kin' welfare). The Dalit utthan (upliftment) converted into Dalit Prerna Sthals (inspiration centres) and Dalit vikas (development) shaped into huge parks of Rs.600 crores," BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said at a rally here while campaigning for party candidate doctor Mahesh Sharma. "No one has ever heard of an alive person (referring to Mayawati) observing his own shraddh (ritual held after death). It was the first example," Swaraj said, while referring to the statues of Chief Minster and BSP supremo Mayawati built by her. "There was an open plunder of government machinery and the people cried and just felt helpless during this regime. They promised everything to the people before last polls but today, their balance sheet is zero. They have no accomplishment to boast of," the BJP leader said.
The party said all three parties - the BSP, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress - were one and had the same face, which could not hide in parliament when the SP voted for the Congress-led central government and also arranged other MPs on an crucial national issue like the nuclear deal. "Every time a major issue came up in parliament, BSP and SP members supported the Congress by either walking out or voting for them," Sushma Swaraj said. She said the BJP was the only option, before the people in the country, which had no alignment with these parties. "They all claim to be concerned about farmers but what were they doing when the Noida farmers were weeping," she said. "There was a well-hatched conspiracy to snatch land from the farmers," she said. The leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, said: "The BJP was opposed to any kind of reservation based on religion. We treat every religion equally but would not tolerate anybody sloganeering for Pakistan on a day of India-Pakistan match." "They are no less than traitors who remain silent on atrocities committed by terrorists but advocate for their rights," she said. Uttarkhand Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri said the state had offered a wonderful Lokayukta model for other states to follow and curtail corruption.

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Sonia Gandhi slams Mayawati, says UP suffering due to scams

Scams and looters have denied people in Uttar Pradesh of gains from central government funds for development, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi said while attacking the Mayawati government here Sunday, as voting took place in 56 constituencies in the fourth phase of assembly elections. In her 20-minute-long speech at the Exhibition Ground in Aligarh, Gandhi said that the central government was giving huge amounts for development under various schemes, but due to "luterey aur ghotale" (looters and scamsters) people had not benefitted. Sonia said urea had been provided for farmers by the central ministry but it was not reaching the people. She said Aligarh was a historical city which mirrored our composite culture. The Congress was committed to promoting this "tahzeeb". "We believe in taking all sections of society along the path of development but the backwards need special support therefore we have made new schemes for the poor and the underprivileged sections. Villages and rural areas are important for development of the country," she said.
She assured the Aligarh lock industry workers that their interests would be taken care of and problems sorted out. Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh earlier said that votes in the last elections (2007) were not for Mayawati, but were anti-Mulayam Singh. Ajit Singh reminded the people that they had tried Kalyan Singh, Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav several times, now "you should try the RLD-Congress government which will bring about changes and speed up development". (IANS)

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We will do better than 2007: Mayawati

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati expressed confidence Sunday that her party would win the 2012 elections and again form the government in Lucknow. Mayawati, while casting her vote in a Lucknow school, said: "My party will do even better than 2007. And looking at the mammoth turnout at my rallies, let me tell you, we will once again form the government here." Mayawati was accompanied by her party general secretary Satish Misra, widely known as the Dalit party's Brahmin mascot. The fourth phase of polling in the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh polls is being organised today. As many as 17.2 million voters are eligible to elect their representatives spread across 56 constituencies in 11 districts, including state capital Lucknow.(IANS)

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Peaceful polling in UP, young Lucknow voters queue up

Polling proceeded peacefully in 56 constituencies that voted in the fourth round of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections Sunday, with young voters turning up in large numbers in state capital Lucknow. An 18 percent turnout was recorded in the first four hours across 11 districts, election officials said. Voting began at 7 a.m. The morning chill initially kept many voters in the confines of their homes, but picked up as the day progressed. As many as 967 candidates are in the fray in this phase. "With a bright sun now, polling has already started picking up in most places and I am quite sure, it will go above the 42 percent from the last state assembly election in 2007," Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer Umesh Sinha told IANS. Long queues could be seen at polling centres, not only in the older parts of the city but in modern Lucknow as well. The youth, particularly, appeared to be coming out in large numbers to vote.
Around 1.72 crore voters are eligible to elect their representatives spread across 11 districts -- Lucknow, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli , Chattrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar (Amethi), Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Banda, Chitrakoot, Fatehpur and Pratapgarh. In Lucknow, around 18 percent turnout was recorded till 11 a.m. Sunday, election officials said adding they expected the numbers to be higher this time compared to the 36.7 percent in the last assembly elections in 2007. "The efforts carried out by the election commission to promote voting will definitely show positive results and I will not be surprised if Lucknow's turnout gets to a high record." As many as 18,000 polling stations have been set up across the state. This phase has as many as 103 candidates with criminal cases pending against them. About 139 multi-millionaires ('crorepatis') are also in the fray in the fourth phase, that would test the fate of several political heavyweights, including three ministers, 32 sitting legislators and 12 former ministers. However, it would be an acid test for the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) which had the maximum at stake, since the party had bagged 25 of these 56 seats in 2007. Samajwadi Party was also not far too behind with a tally of 14, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress had bagged seven seats each in the last assembly election. Two seats had gone to independents, while two new constituencies came up on account of delimitation of seats. The fourth phase of the Uttar Pradesh state assembly election also draws significance from the fact the three of India's prime ministers were elected from here. These include Rajiv Gandhi, who repeatedly romped home from Amethi, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, who was elected from Fatehpur and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who made Lucknow his political abode. Polling ends at 5 p.m.

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Eight killed in Pakistan bombing

At least eight people died Sunday in a blast targeting security men in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border. The attack took place in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency. Four others were injured, Xinhua quoted the local Urdu channel Aaj TV as saying. The bomb was detonated through a remote-control device. The target of the attack was pro-government militiamen. (IANS)

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Kama Sutra launched in digital format

Deepak Chopra's "Kama Sutra and the Seven Spiritual Laws of Love," a lavishly illustrated book, is now available across a number of digital E-Book & App platforms. The book is fully illustrated with lavish paintings created by a group of Indian artists hand selected by Chopra, according to publisher Liquid Comics and online site Intent.com, "The Kama Sutra is many things: a manual for lovemaking, a venerable ancient text of India and to prudes throughout the ages, a scandal. Can it also be described as an inspiring spiritual text? I strongly believe it can," said Chopra. The text also includes "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Love", Chopra's intensive meditation and affirmation of simple, practical applications that partners can bring to their relationship to enhance and entice their intimacy.
"Deepak Chopra is one of the most acclaimed thought leaders of our generation. We are honoured to work with him to bring his unique and meditative exploration of the Kama Sutra to audiences worldwide across digital E-Books and apps as the perfect Valentine's Day gift," said Liquid Comics Co-Founder & CEO, Sharad Devarajan. The digital book is available through numerous E-Reader and App platforms including Graphicly, Nook, Android, Sony E-Reader and Amazon. A Facebook version of the book, powered by Graphicly, can be purchased and downloaded at http://tinyurl.com/ChopraKamaSutra.

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US court to hear 1984 anti-Sikh riots case against Congress

New York, Feb 18 (IANS) A US court is set to hear March 15 a plea for "default judgment" against India's Congress party for failing to defend charges of conspiring, aiding, abetting, organizing anti-Sikh riots in November 1984. The case will be heard by Judge Robert W. Sweet of the US Federal Court in New York, according to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a US based community organisation, which filed a motion before the Court Feb 2 for such a judgement. The US court had issued summons to Congress party on March 1 last year asking it to file its answer within 21 days in the class action law suit filed under Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) and Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA).
Initially, the Congress party responded to the summons through its attorneys Sabharwal, Nordin and Finkel and asked the court to grant additional time until June 24 to file the answer. But despite receiving the requested extension it failed to file an answer to the charges. The plaintiffs will ask the court to order the Congress to pay $17.5 billion for rehabilitation of survivors and compensation for the life and property loss claims of more than 35,000 victims in 14 states, SFJ said. According to SFJ legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the plaintiffs will also ask the US Court to issue "Letters Rogatory" for the appearance of Justice G.T. Nanavati who probed the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

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No harassment of schools over right to education: Bihar

Patna, Feb 18 (IANS) Bihar Education Minister P.K. Shahi Saturday announced here that the government will not harass or force private schools to follow the rules of the right to education law. "I can assure that the government will not implement RTE (Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act) in Bihar and will not force private schools to follow rules under it," Shahi said at a function organised by private school owners here. He told private school owners not to be afraid of the law because it will not be implemented in the near future. "You are free to operate, the government will not harass you in the name of RTE," Shahi said. Last year, the state government invoke the act, stating that all private schools will have to enrol with the government.
The education department officials then justified the state government's insistence on registration of all private schools. They said that under the law the state government was mandated to monitor quality of education, adequate number of teachers in schools and other infrastructure. Over 25,000 private schools across the state observed a strike Wednesday against the state government's decision to seek registration of these schools.

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128 nominees in UP poll's sixth phase face criminal cases

At least 128 of the 360 candidates for the sixth round of Uttar Pradesh assembly polls Feb 28 have criminal background, a report from a think tank said Saturday. A total of 210 candidates are billionaires. This is 36 percent of the total and is much higher than 27 percent of candidates having criminal background in the last assembly polls, said an analysis by think tank Association for Democratic Research (ADR) and its wing National Election Watch (NEW). About 46 percent of the candidates of the Samajwadi Party (SP) have pending criminal cases, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 45 percent, the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) 29 percent and the Congress 47 percent.
Out of the 128 candidates with declared criminal cases, 52 are facing trials in cases like murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, rape, robbery and extortion. The SP has 15, the BJP has eight, the BSP has seven and the Congress has five such candidates. Man Veer Singh of the Janata Dal-United, contesting from Jewar constituency, has declared the maximum number of 31 criminal cases. Of these, 14 are related to murder. The number of billionaires in the fray has also grown this time over the 2007 election. A total of 210 candidates, about 58 percent of the total, are billionaires. Just 22 percent candidates were billionaires in 2007. Najir Ahmed of the Congress from Agra South constituency is the richest with assets worth Rs.141.39 crore, followed by Vinod Kumar of the BSP from Debai constituency with Rs.45.19 crore and Mahesh Kumar Sharma of the BJP from Noida constituency with assets worth Rs.37.45 crore.

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UP polls: Slow start to fourth phase

Lucknow, Feb 19 (IANS) The fourth round of the seven-phased Uttar Pradesh polls in 55 constituencies got off to a slow start Sunday, with nippy temperatures keeping many voters away. By 9 a.m. around 8.7 percent had voted, election officials said.
Polling began at 7 a.m. in 11 districts, including Lucknow and Rae Bareli. A total of 1.7 crore people are eligible to vote in this round. Polling ends at 5 p.m. The last phase of the election to the 403 member assembly in India's most populous and politically crucial state will be held March 3 and votes counted March 6.

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NRHM Scam: 6 Official booked, BJP-Congress demands CBI Probe in death

National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam of Uttar Pradesh turn more complex after continues death of people accused or related to NRHM Scam. On Friday six health officials including the chief medical officer were booked on charges of criminal conspiracy and murder of an accountant in connection with the corruption case. An FIR under sections 302 (murder) and 120B(criminal conspiracy) was lodged with the city police against six health officials, Additional Superintendent of Police Rajiv Malhotra said. They are Dr J P Bhargava, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Lakhimpur Kheri, his deputy Balbir Singh, Pasgawan Community Health Centre (CHC) incharge Dr S C Gupta and Pasgwan CHC clerks Rajesh Hans, Kuldeep and Munna Lal, he said. UP police had found the body of the 52-year-old accountant, Mahendra Sharma lying in a pool of blood with severe injuries on his head and face from the Pasgawan health centre area in Lakhimpur Kheri district on February 15.
Meanwhile BJP and Congress party demands CBI probe in recent death. BJP national Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in a press statement released said that so far six persons have gone in to the "well of death". The BJP leader opined that not only the officials but all the relevant evidences related to the UP scams are being dumped in dark graves. The union government lead by Congress and supported by Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party have been playing the role of spectators and that he said, "was a part of hidden political deal".Union Minister Kapil Sibal on Friday questioned Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's silence on the mysterious death of yet another man connected with the NRHM scam and demanded a CBI probe into all related cases to bring out the truth. "The death of Mahendra Sharma, the fifth victim of the NRHM scam, indicates that someone somewhere wants to keep the facts hidden and we demand that a CBI probe be ordered into all the five related cases so that the entire reality could reach the people," Sibal said.

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UP Polls: Campaign for 4th phase ends

Campaigning for the fourth phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections covering 56 seats spread over 11 districts came to an end on Friday. "Campaigning for the fourth phase of elections, polling for which would be be held on February 19, ended this evening," joint chief electoral officer Anita Meshram told reporters. She said the 11 districts where polling would be held are Hardoi, Unnao, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, CSM Nagar, Farukkhabad, Kannauj, Banda, Chitrakoot, Fatehpur and Pratapgarh. "More than 1.74 crore voters, including 95.83 lakh men and 78.3 lakh women are expected to cast their votes at 18,609 polling stations," she said. The seats and candidates whose fate will be decided in 4th phase are listed below:

Uttar Pradesh Election 2012 Phase 4 Dates, Seats, Candidates

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STET 2012 Question paper leaked in Bihar

Bihar Secondary Intermediate Teachers Eligibility Test (STET) Examination paper leaked today (17th February 2012). STET 2012 Exam question paper was sold in market from Rs. 2000 to Rs. 200 in Saharsa and other part of Bihar.  Police is investigating the case and official announcement for Cancellation of STET Exam 2012 and new schedule is awaited from Bihar School Examination Board(BESB), Patna. Bihar STET Exam 2012 is conducted to test the eligibility of candidates for the primary education teachers of classes 1 to 8th. Meanwhile 13 people arrested in Jamui and 4 man in Supoul last night and police is investigating the case.

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Beni Prasad Verma dares EC on Muslim quota

Congress leader and steel minister Beni Prasad Verma has reignited the row over reservations for minorities in Uttar Pradesh by promising sub-quotas for Muslims if the party was voted to power in the state. Addressing a political rally at Kayamganj assembly constituency in Farrukhabad district on Wednesday, Verma said: "Muslims don't have their homes; they don't have jobs and 70% of them work as labourers. Non-Congress governments in the state have not done anything for their betterment. "We will make sure that quotas for them is increased if the Congress comes to power in Uttar Pradesh," he said. Verma's remarks come two days after law minister Salman Khurshid apologised to the Election Commission, regretting his remarks on sub-quota for backward sections of minorities in Uttar Pradesh, where elections are going on. "I said in Farrukhabad that Muslims have not got their due and the central government has made a reservation of 4.5% for them and it needs to be increased. If Election Commission serves me a notice I will reply to it," Prasad told a TV channel.
In Delhi, EC officials said they have the tapes of Verma's speech. An official indicated they might issue him a notice for violation of the model code of conduct. On Wednesday, the EC had put a lid on the stand-off with Khurshid after he expressed regret over his "defiance" of the poll body. The Congress, apparently, is not too happy, though information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni denied an exact knowledge of Verma’s remarks.

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NRHM scam: Clerk found dead, 6th death so far

National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam of Uttar Pradesh claim 6th life in UP when Mahendra Sharma, a Health Department clerk, was found dead in Lakhimpur Kheri on Thursday (Feb 16). Sharma, who was suspended allegedly after he refused to sign some files, was missing since February 7. The police are waiting for the postmortem report to determine whether it is a suicide or murder. This is the Sixth mysterious death related to the scam with the suicide of a key accused and murder of two Chief Medical Officers (CMO) and a Deputy CMO, who was found dead inside the jail hospital. Condemning the death, BJP demanded CBI security for all the eye witnesses into the scam.  This is the fifth death related to the Rs 5,000 crore NRHM scam in UP. Two Chief Medical Officers (CMO) posted at Lucknow have been murdered, and a Deputy CMO was found dead inside the Lucknow jail hospital under mysterious circumstances. The CAG, in its recent report, has also strongly indicted the state’s health and family welfare department, middlemen and contractors for allegedly siphoning off Rs 5,700 crore of the Rs 8,657 crore released between 2005 and 2011 under the NRHM scheme.
Six mysterious death so far in NHRM Scam:
1. Dr. Vinod Arya: Chief Medical Officer(Family welfare), was murdered in Lucknow on 20th October 2011.
2. Dr. BP Singh: He took charge as CMO(Family welfare) in february 2011, but on 2nd April 2011, he was killed in same way as Dr. Vinod arya.
3. Dr. YS Sachan: He was deputy CMO, died in mysterious circumstances in hospital of Lucknow central jail in June 2011.
4. Sunil Verma: A key scam accused, Verma was an NRHM Project Manager, He shoot himself at his Lucknow residence in January 2012.
5. Shailesh Yadav: The varanasi Deputy CMO died in road accident in varanasi on 10th February 2012.
6. Mahendra Sharma: Health Department clerk, was found dead in Lakhimpur Kheri on 16th February 2012

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